Dry-blast system.



B. WALTER.

DRY BLAST SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 22. 191.2.

1,1 34,568. Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES I INVENTOR Il fxwum B. WALTER.

DRY BLAST SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22, 1912. 1,184,568, Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

WITNESS f f f fr a @mm Mmm, v H MXQM? THE NORRIS PETERS so.4 PHOTGLITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

B. WALTER.

DRY BLAST SYSTEM.

APPLICATION rlLED JuLY 22.1912.

1,134,568, Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

a 4 SHEETS-*SHEET 3.

INVENTOR THE NDRRIS PETERS C0.. F'HOTo-LlHa. WASHINGTON. D.

B. WALTER.

DRY BLAST SYSTEM.

APPLICATION F|LED1ULY 22.1912.

1,1 34,568. Patnted Apr. 6, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHHIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIII HIIIIIIII l) INVENTOR cheapen and improve the pnrrnp STATES rA'rEgNr oEEroE.

BRUCE WALTER, 0E PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, -ASSIGNOR 'ro'y JAMES GAYLEY, 0E'

YNEW YORK, N. Y.

DRY-ELAST SYSTEM. l

Specification of Letters Patent.

Y Patented Apr. e, 1915-.V

Applieationiled July 22, 19172. Serial N o. 710,877. v

To all whom it may concern `resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Al-y legheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Dry-Blast Systems, of-whieh the following is a full, clear, and exact description, ref-y erence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part'of this specication, in which: w

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation, showing one form of my improved iapparatus; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on the line II-II of Fig. l; Fig. '3 is a sectional .plan view' Fig. 1; and Fig. irregular line IV-IV'of Fig. 1, showing more clearlythe air loc Myinvention relates moisture from air by cooling in accordance with the now well known Gayley system.

The object of the inventionis to simplify, apparatus, as well as the method, and provide a simple, economical system. y; v

To that end, itconsists in a two-stage system in which the circulation of air is reversed as between the two stages.

It also consists in the two-,stage reversing system wherein theiirst 'stage is a direct Contact system with a refrigerated liquid, while the second stage is Van indirect system, the air being cooled by conduction through pipes.

In the drawings, in which I show a preferred apparatus for carrying out my invention, I show a tower divided vertically into three compartments A,` B and C. 'I he compartments A and C are the working compartments, while the central one is an access compartment.

Each compartment A and C has vcoils of pipe arranged preferably in separate groups, as shown. These groups of coils may be connected in any ldesirable manner, as by pipe connections shown'at 2 and 3. The top set or group connects with the brine inlet 4, while the bottom set connects with the brine outlet 5. .The compartments are vertically closedvoif from each other, access being had through compartment B to the compartments A and C through suitable door-closed openings.

Each compartment A and C is provided in its upper part with water distributers,

on theline III- III .of 4 is a similar view on the to the extraction of Y shown at 6, which preferably consist of perforated pipes.V These'perforated pipes are fed through connections 7 from water supply tanks 8, 1nVv which a substantially constant 'level is maintained. Previously re-k frigerated water is supplied to these tanks 8 8, successively, depending on which compartment is acting for the lirst stage. The bottom-of each compartment A and C is provided ,with` a suitable tank or well in 'which the water is received and from which it maybe drawn out and taken back tothe cooling apparatus, if desired.V In order to reverse the order of flow from the compartments A and C, I provide areversing valve system,y which is preferably so arranged that the airV always enters at the bottom of each,v chamber k.and passes upwardly therethrough, or the order of enf tering the chambers is reversed f In the form shown," to carry outthis function, I provide a vertical valve chamber 9 in the form of a stand pipe, having pipe partitions 1,0 and 11, dividing it into three chambers y and e. Each of these chambers isprovided with a double-seat valve, which seats against upper and lower seats 1,2 and 13, respectively, in each chamber. All of the valves are fastened to the same` verticalv stem 13a, so that they move in uni-l son.- FromV above and below thepartition 10, pipes 14 and 15 connect with a single pipe 16; the same fixturek being provided for the lower partition 11, in which case,

the parts are marked with the same numerals with the lettei` a applied. The pipe 16 leads to the blowing engine, while the pipe 16l leads to the lower part of compartment C. f In the upper compartment, a pipelfl leads from between the seats 12 and 13 over to and enters the top of compartment C, while above the seat`12, a pipe l18 leads into pipe. 19, which enters the bottom or compartment A. In compartment y, a pipe 2O leads from between the valve seats 12 and 13 to the upper part of compartment A, while between the seats 12 and 13 in the lower com' partment .e is the inlet 21 from the'fan., With the parts as shown, the air entering at 21 from the fan passes out through 22 into pipe 19, and thence into the bottom of compartment A.'V It rises through this compartment, passing back through pipe 2O Vinto compartment Q/ of the valve, and thence out through 16a to the lower part of compartit passes out through pipe 20 to compart-l ment y, and thence through pipes 15 andl 16 to the blowing engine.

When the air first enters Vthe'bottom of compartment A, the previously refrigerated water in this tankis feddownwardly in a shower or rain, thus removing a lconsiderable amount of moisture from the air. There` after the partially dry air enters the bottom of compartment C and passes up about the" dry pipes through which refrigerated brine or ammonia is circulated. In this second stage, the air is cooled to the desired low temperature, and the desired degree of dryness thus reached. When the system is reversed and the air first enters the bottom of compartment C, then the previously refrigerated water is showered through this compartment and the supply is shutoff in compartment A.

`While the air is passing through the first compartment,- the brine is held in the coilsY inV that compartment, withoutA circulation; but inthe second compartment, a circulation of the brine is being maintained through the coils; Un reversal, this condition is reversed, the circulation being stopped inthe one compartment and startedv in the other.

1n order to provide for this removal of defective pipe coils, etc., I preferably provide a large opening 28 in the wall of the centralcompartment, which is provided with asuita-ble closure Defective pipe coils maybe passed out through this opening and other coils taken in through it.

The tower is preferably insulated kon all sides as indicated,Iv Vand provided with an insulated/roof The central compartment is preferably provided with a ladder 25, by whichthe various groups of pipes in the compartments may be reached, and ifdesired, a brine tank 26 may also be placed at the top of this central compartment.

The advantages of my invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art, since provision is made for thawing the frozen rime from the indirect acting coils, without cutting out a compartment for this purpose. The incoming air on reversal, together with the water used in the first stage, act to thaw ofl'7 the rime from the pipes in this compartment which was formerly the second stage,

and thus not only thawing off the frozen rime, but aiding in cooling Clown the air thereby. V

The apparatus is relatively economical and simple and cheap to construct. It is also efficient in operation.

Many changes may be made in the form and arrangement of the chambers, means for reversing the stages, etc., without departing from my invention.

lt will be obvious, for instance7 that instead of using vthe vzuoparatus to dry the air before compression, it may be arranged intermediate'l the Ablowing engine' and the stoves.` lnl lthis case, the connection 21 would constitute 'the intake from the blowing engine and the 'connection' 16 vthe outlet to the stoves.

l claim:

1. ln the drying of air for metallurgical purposes, the steps 'consisting of feeding the air successively through ay plurality of compartments'overv pipes, the air being subjected tothe directaction of a' countercurrent of previouslycooled fluid in the first compartment,furtherE cooled in the second compartment lby conduction from ither pipes, and periodically reversingv the` order of flow through the compartments while always subjecting the airA to a countercurrent of previously cooled liquid -in 'the oney which it first enters; substantially as described.

2. In the drying of air for metallurgical purposes, the steps consisting-in feeding the air upwardly through a succession of compartments and subjectingrit to a `cooling action in each compartment, and periodically reversing the -ord r offlow through the compartments, thereby, at each reversal, causing the air enteringthe-rstcompartment in its reversed order of'` flow to thawv off rime formed thereinprior to'the reversal, and also thereby utilizingsu'ch'rime to increase the cooling action on the air,-sub'stantially as described.

3. In the drying of air for metallurgical purposes, they steps consisting of feeding 'the air successively through a plurality of compartments, subjectingthe air to the direct action of a counter-current of coolingliquid in the first compartment, then further coolingthe air in the second compartment, and periodically reversing the order of flow through the compartments; substantially as described.

1l. ln the drying of air for metallurgical purposes, the steps consisting of feeding the air successively through a plurality of compartments, subjecting the air to the direct action of a counter-current spray of cooling liquid in the first compartment, then further cooling the air in the second compartment, and periodically reversing'the order of flow through the compartments; substantially as described.

5. In the drying of air for metallurgical purposes, the steps consisting of feeding the air upwardly through a plurality of compartments, subjecting the air to the direct action of a counter-current spray of cooling liquid in the first compartment, then feeding the air through a pipe cooling compartment, periodically reversing the order of flow through said compartments,` and subjecting the air to the direct laction of a cooling fluid in the first compartment; substantially as described.

6. In the drying of air for metallurgical purposes, the steps consisting in feeding the air successively in a plurality of cornpart4 ments over pipes, the air in the first compartment being subjected to the direct action of a counter-current of previously cooled liquid, and in the second compartment beically reversing the order of flow through the compartments Vwhile always subjecting the air :to a counter-current ofcooled liquid in the first compartment, and confining the circulation of cooling liquid through the pipes of the'second compartment,thereby,

after each reversal, utilizing the air and Y water used in the lirst compartment to thaw off the rime produced on the pipes prior to reversal g. substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

BRUCE WALTER.V

Witnesses: G. M; VrERs, I-I. M. CoRWrN.

sov

Copies of this patent may be obtained forve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. i 

